Perfect Pie Crust Recipe and Tutorial

Making the Perfect Pie Crust is easy with this step by step tutorial. The results are a perfect crust every time. And all perfect pies start with a perfect pie crust. That is what makes pie crusts so intimidating.

I used to be scared of pie. Because nothing can ruin a good pie quicker than a bad pie crust! Pie crust should be flaky and tender and never tough. And there are so many pie crust recipes out there. Some swear by shortening and others promise perfect results with butter. I am here to take all of the worry out of baking the perfect pie crust.

Perfect Pie Crust

Several years ago a friend and I did a pie crust bake off. We tried all different recipes and combinations to see which one we thought was the flakiest and the most tender. And today’s recipe is the one I liked the best. It is a combination of shortening and butter, so you get the best qualities of both.

Pie Crust is really pretty easy to make. The trick is to remember to be gentle and to handle it as little as possible. Overworking the dough and handling it too much will pretty much guarantee a tough crust. Today I’m going to share with you my Perfect Pie Crust Tutorial for flaky and tender pie crust every time!

How To Make Pie Crust

Step 2: Using your hands or a pastry blender, combine the ingredients until little pebbles form. Using a pastry blender will help keep the dough from getting too warm.

Step 3: Your water needs to be cold. I put some water in a cup and then fill it with ice cubes. You don’t need much water. I can’t tell you the exact amount because it will vary according to the day, the weather, etc. I just splash a small amount into the bowl and then use a fork to start “fluffing” the dough until it starts to hold together.

Do not pour a bunch of water into the bowl! Add it teaspoon by teaspoon just until the dough holds together. Use your hands to form it into a ball. The dough should be soft and moist, but not wet.

Step 4: Divide dough into two balls. While working with one keep the other covered so it doesn’t dry out. Or if you only need one pie crust, you can freeze the second piece for later. If the dough has gotten warm, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it for 30 minutes or so to make it easier to work with. When ready to work with it, place the dough you are using on a layer of wax paper and flatten it.

Pie Crust Tutorial

Step 5: Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a circle. If you are using a 9 inch pie plate make sure your circle is bigger than 9 inches. Use flour to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.

Step 6: Lift up the wax paper and flip the pie crust over and into the pie pan. Remove wax paper and press the dough into pie pan.

Step 7: Using your fingers, form an edge around the pie and then if you are not using a top crust, flute the edge of the crust.

Step 8: Cover the pie with foil or plastic wrap. Put covered pie in the freezer for about 30 minutes to allow the pastry to firm up a bit and to prevent shrinkage while baking.

What to Bake with Your Perfect Pie Crust

For a fun idea to use up your pie crust scraps check out my Pie Fries post!

My favorite kitchen tools for making the PERFECT PIE CRUST:FRENCH ROLLING PIN– I love this thing. There are no handles to get in the way. Just use the palms of your hands on the ends. Just like the French!

Perfect Pie Crust Recipe

Making the Perfect Pie Crust is easy with this step by step tutorial. Perfect pie crust every time!

Course:
Dessert

Servings: 29" pie crusts

Calories: 1428kcal

Author: LeighAnne Wilkes

Ingredients

2 1/2Call purpose flour

1/2Cbutter

1/2Cshortening

pinchof salt

ice cold wateradd teaspoon by teaspoon until right consistency has formed

Instructions

Place flour, salt, butter and shortening in bowl.

Use your hands to combine ingredients until small pebbles form

Add cold water a teaspoon at a time until the dough begins to hold together and form a ball.

Do not over handle the dough. Dough should be soft, moist but not wet.

Divide dough in half.

Place ball of dough onto wax paper and flatten. Place another piece of wax paper over the top and roll out the pastry into a circle. If your pie pan is 9 inch make sure your circle is bigger than 9 inches so you have enough for the edging..

Remove the top layer of wax paper and place pastry into pie tin. Remove other piece of wax paper and press pastry into pan. Use your fingers to crimp the edge of the crust.

Freeze for 30 minutes to firm up the pastry. This helps prevent pastry from shrinking during baking.

Prick the bottom of crust to prevent bubbling during baking.

If pie calls for a baked crust bake at 400 degrees. For the first 10-12 minutes keep the edges of pie covered with foil and then remove for the last 15 minutes. Bake until golden brown.

Nutrition Facts

Perfect Pie Crust

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1428Calories from Fat 882

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 98g151%

Saturated Fat 42g210%

Cholesterol 122mg41%

Sodium 410mg17%

Potassium 167mg5%

Total Carbohydrates 119g40%

Dietary Fiber 4g16%

Protein 16g32%

Vitamin A28.4%

Calcium3.7%

Iron40.3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Hi – I’m Leigh Anne! Food, family and friends are three of my favorite things. I love sharing easy, delicious recipes and entertaining ideas that everyone will love. When she started her blog, Your Homebased Mom, over 9 years ago she had no idea that it would one day house over 2,400 recipes and ideas! .

Your recipe is like mine! I think you need both butter and shortening for a good crust. Three things that I do different. My recipe is enough for one crust and I process mine in my food processor. Then I place to dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling it out. I also love to roll the dough out on a silicone pie mat. I love the circle guide on it so I can get the right size.

Pretty close to my receipt. I use only shortening. My mom always used lard. I got my mat from Tupperware years ago. To this day, I have NEVER used a store bought pie crust. That’s like the difference between a Chevy and a Cadillac. lol

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am still a bit intimidated by pie crust, but hopefully with a bit of practice I won’t have to be. I feel like some of your methods (like using your hands and freezing it for a half hour) will help me avoid the mistakes I usually make. Thanks so much!

As I explained in the post the amount will vary I just add it in a few teaspoons at a time until it is soft and moist but not wet. It is not an exact science and is done to feel. Just add a little at a time

Usually ends up about 6 tlbs. of water. But like she said, add only maybe 1 at a time. Love mine, so flakey, never had a complaint from a single soul to this day, and I’ve been using this for about 45 years.

One tip for not over-browning/burning the crust: if you have a convection oven, cook most of the time on convection bake, and then switch to regular bake for the last 10-15 minutes. This will make your crust golden brown and not crispy.

Thanks for such a great blog! Did you compare pie crusts using lard? I found that lard makes a really flaky crust too. I’m just curious. If I can find another recipe that is just as flaky using ingredients I always have on hand then I’d rather use that than one with lard. although lard makes a tasty crust too. Also, do you have any tricks to keep pie crusts from shrinking? Mine always shrink up–no matter what recipe I use. Thanks for your help!

Trisha, I only used butter or shortening, no lard.Do you think there is that much difference between shortening and lard? I haven’t ever really worked with lard. By freezing the crust in the pan for 30 minutes prior to baking it seems to help prevent shrinking.

I’m really curious so I’ve been doing some research on this:) Lard is made from animal fats. Modified vegetable oils are unhealthy–shortening. It’s important to get real lard though, not what is sold in the baking isle. Not hydrogenated. You can get real lard in some meat departments. The butchers just pack it up themselves. A lot of people swear by lard for a flaky crust, but some don’t like the taste. I like the taste but don’t always have it on hand. I guess I could buy it and freeze what I don’t use…here is one of the links I found with a thread on this topic. http://www.cheftalk.com/t/70532/lard-as-a-substitute-for-shortening-in-pie-crust-and-cookie-recipes

I have become a lard lover! It is all natural and nowadays people are seing that natural trumps lab made every time! My mom gave me her recipe (similar to yours but she adds a bit of apple cider vinegar as it also helps flake the crust nicely). Her mom used lard but my mom grew up in the time when shortenng was king, so she used that. I currently live in Poland and we have an all natural meat factory so I get lovely lard whenever I want. My mom came here and I suggested we use lard like her mom used. She was amqzed at how much better it is and she said she will never use shortening again!

This method is similar to the one I learned in my cooking class in high school. The cold ice water keeps the shortening from melting, but keeps it in little balls, so when you roll it out it makes flat little pancakes. When cooked they melt creating the flakes. My teacher preferred lard, but I stick with the shortening instead. I’want to try with the combo of butter and shortening that sounds even better!

I use the same recipe except I use a pastry blender to mix in the butter and shortening. You want to keep the dough as cold as possible so hands off as much as you can. But here is my secret to getting the crust flaky…use half water and half vodka to moisten the dough. The vodka allows you to make the crust a little wetter for rolling, and then in the oven the vodka evaporates completely, leaving the crust more flaky! Try it!

So glad I saw this link on Michelle’s Tasty Creations Link Party. I’m going to pin this and come back for reference when I’m making pies on Friday! I’m going to make an apple pie, do I need to bake the crust before putting in the filling?? Or can I do it all at once? Thank you!!!!!

I always get stuck after patting the dough in the pie plate…there’s overhang, and I’m not sure how much to trim. Do you tuck the excess in under, or over, or what? Can’t ever get it to look good, although I have to say that it tastes great no matter what it looks like!

You should have some overhang. I then scrunch some of it up and crimp the edges. Then trim off whatever else is hanging over the edge. Really – as long as they taste good that’s the most important but a pretty pie is nice too!.

So pretty! My pie crusts always turn out so ugly, and the taste is nothing to write home about. Thank you for posting the step-by-step, I am going to use this for my pumpkin pies this year!
Pinning to my recipes to try board.
p.s. I found a Silicon pie protector at Bed Bath and Beyond last year, haven’t burned a crust since!

I can’t wait to try this pie crust! Thank you so much for sharing. Also, I would love the lettering. Just let me know where to send the money! That is a great message to leave up all year long. Love your site. Again, thank you for being so generous.

I HAVE to try this!!! My mom makes an incredible apple pie with the best crust but I’ve never been able to duplicate it. I’m going to give this one a try and see if I have better luck. I would really love it if you’d come share with us over at Real Housemoms for our Fabulous Fridays!

Beautiful! I agree, using both butter and shortening help make the best pie dough. You get that great buttery taste and the shortening helps with the perfect flakiness. One thing I also love doing when I make pie dough is using half water half vodka to help ensure flakier crust and help make it more pliable when rolling it out. 🙂

Normally I roll my pie crust out on the counter, but last time I decided to roll it between wax paper and my wax paper must be cheap and junky, because I was peeling off little flecks of wax paper for quite a while. Sigh. That was annoying.

I usually use all butter and use the food processor, but I think there’s something to be said for doing things by hand. It’s just more satisfying!

Is that the correct amount of butter and shortening. I make a two crust dough and it calls for 2C flour and 2/3C shortening, so wondering about the amount. Would love to try this recipe as I like to use butter also.

Okay I will have to try this recipe for my Thanksgiving pies. Thanks! I always make my own pie crust, it is so much better than store bought or a mix. As with most food, it tastes better made from scratch.

I love your recipes! I’ve never made a pie crust, but think I’m going to give it a try. My family would most likely be ok with a practice pie or two. I would love to get to get the lettering for your Thankful sign. I’ve thought about the saying numerous times since your post. Things have been a little rough lately, and I’ve needed the reminder. Let me know how I pay for it.
Thanks!

I wanted to let you know that I tried a Gluten Free version of this pie crust last night for our Thanksgiving celebration today, and it worked pretty well! At first I was thinking it was going to be a flop, but after a night in the fridge, it tastes pretty fantastic. I used the crust to make a dutch sour cream apple pie.

I used your recommended 1/2 c. of each butter and shortening. It was a bit much for the flour mix, so next time I think I’ll play around with the fat and go 1/3 c. of each. Also, this dough definitely requires refrigeration BEFORE trying to roll out between waxed paper. I divided the dough and pressed it into med. sized rounds and then refrigerated for about a half hour. You have to work FAST in order to get it rolled, transferred to the pie plate and edges fluted before the dough gets too warm. I actually re-refrigerated it for a bit before I was able to get the edges fluted. Then I did freeze it for about 15 minutes before filling and baking.

When it came out I was seriously bummed! The crust seemed like it was going to disintegrate into powder. I cooled it on a rack and, when cooled, covered the pie and put in in the fridge to deal with in the morning. Well, this morning the crust was just fine and it sliced and plated well! HOORAY!!

Hope you and your family have a blessed day of giving thanks. And here’s hoping your GF girl gets some wonderful pie! 🙂

Thanks for the gluten free version – will have to try that for Christmas for Cali. I made a gluten free, dairy free pumpkin pie for her. I used nuts and dates for the crust and coconut milk in the pumpkin filling.

Leigh Anne, I don’t know you but I totally feel like I do. Every single recipe I make from your blog turns out wonderfully. It seems like the recipes people ask for the most are the ones that come from your blog, including this pie crust. The tastiest, flakiest pie crust ever! At any rate, I just thought I’d let you know this is my favorite blog. Keep it up. I don’t know what I’d do without you!

Thanks! I am going to make a pumpkin pie for Christmas per my son’s request and am nervious about the crust. This makes it less stressful. Question, if I freeze half of it for later, so I freeze it in ball form? How do I handle the defrosting (counter? fridge?)? Also, so I need to worry about it being tougher or more dry? Thanks again!

I made pie crusts yesterday (my first time) using this recipe and they turned out so flaky and tender! It was a very easy recipe to follow and didn’t take too much time. I substituted frozen vegetable oil for the shortening (I don’t like using shortening) and it turned out just fine. Thanks so much!

I have made pecan pies and I will bake the crust for about 10 mins. I cover the outside of the pie crust. I will fill the crust as soon as it comes out of the oven to assure the bottom browns. You might watch your crust the first time you do this, as you know all oven don’t work the same. You really don’t want it brown at this point just get crust slightly cooked, to keep the bottom from getting soggy so it can brown. Hope this helps.

I’m hoping you might have made a pecan pie since your tutorial was published?
I always have problems with the filling seeping under the crust, making a huge sticky ugly mess to serve. I use a standard recipe with 3 eggs – which seems to really fill up the crust (9″), but pecan pies “expand” while cooking, whereas others “cook down”. (I don’t prick the crust or pre-bake it). Maybe my crust is too dry and has tiny cracks. I’ll definitely be trying your recipe, but pecan pies are my nemesis!
Also, pecan pies have to cook longer than most pies, so any advice on how to keep the crust from overbrowning?

Interestingly, I was just about to go shopping for ingredients to make a pie/contest at a Fall Party. Was actually considering buying a crust…hm???? Was having second thoughts since it is a contest…would that be right???? Of course not….but…I opened pinterest and THERE ! The first pin on the page….your pie instructions….going to try….now, what kind of filling?

I just made some pie crust today. I’ve been trying to perfect my grandma’s recipe, but the only thing I know she did for sure was use lard. She wouldn’t use vegetable shortening or butter ever, lol. These are some great tips.

i noticed that you put the pie crust in freezer for 30 minutes to set up. What if you’re doing a 2 crust pie ( top/bottom) do you set up bottom first then fill and put top on and set up in freezer for another 30 min?

I always shy away from baking pies because it seems my crust always slides down the inside edge of the pan instead of sitting pretty up on the rim of the pie plate. Can you give me an idea of why this happens? Will freezing it like you suggest help in reducing its tendency to slide? Thanks!

Crust virgin here. I am planning on baking a pumpkin pie for a Friendsgiving and want to make the crust for the first time. For a pumpkin pie how long do I bake before adding the filling? Do I bake the crust for the full 15-27 mins before filling? My recipe calls for baking the pie for 55 mins. I would greatly appreciate help!

Reading this pie crust recipe is like reading the one out of my own recipe box that my Mom and Grandmother wrote out for me 40 + years ago!
This has gotten me more compliments then anything I bake! It’s the BEST!

Just wanted to say this is the best pie crust recipe I have ever made. Very easy to make and the taste is great. I have shared this recipe with my friends. I have a small business and my customers just love my pies. TY

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Food, family and friends are three of Leigh Anne's favorite things. . Leigh Anne welcomes you into her kitchen and her life on a daily basis through her personable, down to earth, style and her readers often think of her as their neighbor next door.

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